Sunday, January 17, 2010

I looked for James Gurney's new book at the Dallas library. I didn't find it, but I did find this book: The Artist's Guide to Sketchingby James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade (1988). Yes, the Thomas Kinkade. Turns out Gurney and Kinkade were roommates at Berkley.

This book chronicles a road trip Gurney and Kinkade took one summer. Along the way, they did a bunch of on-the-spot sketching. This book shares their tricks-of-the-trade and drawings. The book covers the following topics:

Sketching in public (Logistics, dealing with people, being inconspicuous.)

Materials (How to keep it simple. Pencils, pens, markers, and wash are favored.)

This book is inspirational and full of useful advice. I put this book in the same quality category as Bert Dodson's Keys to Drawing and Drawing with Imagination. This book is no longer offered new, but is available used. Used prices range from $45.00 to $315.00. These prices attest to the value of the book.

Here are my initial attempts at doing more comprehensive sketching and at using marker for values. Marker is a whole lot faster than pencil.

9. What room are you in?… Office10. Your hobby?… Art11. Your fear?…Failure12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?… Illustrating13. Where were you last night?… Home14. Something that you aren’t?… Sophisticated15. Muffins?… Homemade16. Wish list item?… Time17. Where did you grow up?… Vernon18. Last thing you did?… Baked19. What are you wearing?… Sweats20. Your TV?… Small21. Your Pets?… Adored22. Friends?… Work23. Your life?… Busy24. Your mood?… Content25. Missing Someone?… Me26. Vehicle?… Honda27. Something you're not wearing?… Shoes28. Your favorite store?… Target29. Your favorite colour?… Yellow30. When was the last time you laughed?… Everyday31. Last time you cried?… September32. Your best friend?… Husband33. One place that I go to over and over?… Library34. Facebook?… No35. Favorite place to eat?… Macaroni Grill

I'll pass this award along to the following bloggers, who all post frequently and do great work. Check out their blogs!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I chose to illustrate a scene in Hansel and Gretel. The witch has put Hansel in a cage and is fattening him up. Her eyesight is poor, so every day she she feels Hansel's finger to see if he is fat enough to eat. He tricks her by putting out a bone instead of his finger.

I am teaching myself Photoshop and experimenting with color. This is the drawing I colorized:

My son Christopher posed for this drawing. He loves drama and was happy to pretend he was locked in a cage and needed to trick the witch into thinking he was thin. I took a photo of his pose and used it as reference. Here is the photo:

Monday, January 11, 2010

One of my resolutions is to participate in the WetCanvas Monthly Portrait Challenge. This is a charcoal drawing of one of this month's photo references; you can see the photo here. I used General charcoal pencils and a white Pitt pastel pencil on Strathmore charcoal paper. I am hoping to improve my likenesses and mark making ability.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

I used a yoga pose to illustrate renewal, since I always feel renewed after yoga. Here is the full pose in a circular format:

And here is the full pose in a slightly different color scheme:

I used Crayola Chalk and Micron pen on Strathmore drawing paper, and I used a photo in Yoga Journal as the basis for my figure. The last version is the original version; I altered the color in the first two in Photoshop. The cropped version is my favorite.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

This piece was inspired by the Illustration Friday prompt Pioneer. I started to think about how the American settlers brought household items from home with them. I then thought about how much stuff I have and what a hassle it is to move. Which led me to think about space pioneers. What will the first settlers to Mars want to bring from home? Will they overpack? Will they bring foolish items? Will they need to discard household items in space?

I made line drawings of household items and scanned them in. I then manipulated and arranged the drawings in Photoshop Elements. I didn't understand layers before this exercise but now I do, so at least I developed a new skill.